COMPLETION OF “Green Paths Akrounta”

The second European solidarity project of the Akrounta Youth Centre Green Paths Akrounta, which was designed and implemented by the volunteers of the Akrounta Youth Club, was successfully completed.

The project aimed to raise awareness for the protection of the natural environment around the community of Akrounda, in the Limassol district, as well as the cultivation of environmental awareness.

The project lasted 12 months (March 2023 – February 2024), during which the team members researched good practices for the creation of their botanical garden, through field trips to the CyHerbia Avgoros Botanical Park and the Troodos Geopark Botanical Park. Through these visits, the participants learned about the properties and the use of aromatic plants in everyday life, while at the same time they got to know better the flora and fauna of our land. Also, through the workshop “Learning techniques for construction from recyclable materials” they acquired the necessary skills to build their own containers for the aromatic plants they planted and now constitute the small botanical garden of the community, while the QR codes on the pots lead to the website eakrounta.org for more information about the plants and the project in general. At the same time, the project volunteers helped to improve the community’s environment through the two clean-up campaigns they carried out on paths around the Yermasogeia water reservoir and the community field. A big part of the project was the online environmental awareness campaign that ran on the social media of eAkrounta & the Akrounta Youth Club.

The Green Paths Akrounta project is funded by the “European Solidarity Corps” and falls under the “green skills” theme. Through the European Solidarity Corps, the European Commission gives the opportunity to groups of young people, consisting of at least 5 people aged 18-30, to carry out a solidarity project lasting from 2 to 12 months to create a positive change in their community.

The Akrounda Youth Club is a voluntary youth organisation, which has been continuously active since 1982. Its aim is the healthy employment of the youth of the community, their training and empowerment in various areas that concern young people in modern times. The Akroundas Youth Club is an active member of the Cyprus Youth Club Organisation (KOKEN), which supports and enhances youth activity throughout Cyprus and encourages young volunteers to take initiatives, mainly in the countryside, through the more than 50 youth centres that exist in Cyprus.